Ever since my employer provided me with a PDA (iPAQ hx2490b) I have been looking for the right software to make it useful as a mobile tool for Getting Things Done. Frequent readers of this blog know that I am not particularly fond of online GTD applications. They also know that my current GTD setup consists of Excel in combination with a PocketMod.

As a kind of experiment to make my GTD system ever more simple (while maintaining flexibility and portability) I have used Ilium Software ListPro for the last couple of weeks as a single tool for implementing GTD.

Read on to find out how I am trying to get back to the basics of Getting Things Done… GTD is all lists after all!

Implementing GTD with ListPro

First of all, I probably could have used any other task list program for Windows Mobile out there. I didn’t. I stuck with ListPro because so far it does what I need. There is no affiliation between Ilium Software and me.

ListPro installs to your (Windows) desktop computer as well as to your Windows Mobile PDA. I am not going to talk much about the desktop version; it basically provides the same functionality as the PDA version.

For reference, let me give you a quick overview of my current GTD system. It consists of a custom made Excel sheet with an overview page (dashboard if you will), a next actions list, a project list and a someday/maybe list. This Excel sheet provides the flexibility I require of my GTD system (sort, filter, print, et cetera). Portability is provided simply by printing the Excel sheet onto a PocketMod.

Using ListPro on my PDA is an attempt (or experiment) to make my GTD system even more simple, while maintaining flexibility and portability. Basically, I am trying to go back to one master list, which looks like this:

As you can see, I use my PDA in landscape mode for maximum usability. The screenshot above shows the simple but effective layout of my next action list. The underlying structure of this list was easily created by using a combination of standard as well as custom list fields in ListPro:

Let me briefly explain all the fields to you:

X – action done yes/no

Flag – action important yes/no

Action – item description

Project – optional project

Context – context for action

Due – optional due date

WF – waiting for yes/no

Next actions can easily be marked complete, marked with a specific color (highlight), deleted, moved, copied and so on. Ignore the Flag field and highlight colors if you really require a straightforward GTD next action list. Flagged items can be hidden or shown. The same goes for completed items.

Of course, filtering and sorting your list of next actions is crucial. For instance, the following screenshot shows the filter Context = Computer:

Multiple filters are allowed. For example, you could easily show the phone calls you need to make that are due today. Or you could show all the “waiting for” items. If you are working on a next action for a specific project, maybe you would like to see which remaining next actions (if any) are listed for that project:

Multiple sorts (up to three columns) are also possible. For instance, the screenshot below shows all next actions (except the completed ones) sorted by Context and then by Action:

A combination of filtering and sorting ensures you always have the view of your next actions list that is most appropriate according to your situation. I use flagged items to mark really important next actions. The following screenshot demonstrates the ListPro feature which allows you to only display your flagged items:

Of course, flagged items can be used in any way you like; it all depends on the semantics you assign to it.

Adding or editing a next action couldn’t be more simple:

Additionally, items may be edited inline.
Note the Project and Context field in the screenshot above. These are actually pull-down lists because Projects and Contexts are defined as categories in ListPro. You can add or delete any item to any category you want.

My someday/maybe list is contained in another, separate ListPro list. I’m not showing it here because it is really nothing more than a simple list with only one column.

I don’t use all the features of ListPro. For instance, I have no use for hierarchical tasks. ListPro has a very convenient import and export feature. Migrating my next actions from Excel to ListPro was done in a couple of seconds. Printing a list of next actions is sometimes convenient if you do not want to take your PDA with you. Even though I would have liked to see a little bit more flexibility regarding print options in the desktop version of ListPro, I am still satisfied with the resulting list on paper.

So far I am pretty pleased with ListPro on my PDA. I haven’t used my Excel/PocketMod for GTD in a couple of weeks. Of course I can always go back to my old system very quickly if I want to. For now I think I will stick to ListPro a little bit longer!

[...] happened. Luckily, an intrepid ListPro user beat me to the punch, and he really beat me. He wrote a great blog post about how to useListPro to manage your GTD actions, and sent us the associated template. The [...]

@Hal:
I’ve read your blog and articles before. I also use software like Pocket Informant and MindManager. However, I’m careful not to make them central to my GTD implementation. I am trying to stay with the basic list structure with as less detail as possible to keep things simple. That’s why I started using (and I am still using) ListPro. For other activities like planning or note-taking I am using mindmaps and/or other paper-based tools.

The reason why I didn’t use Listpro (a GREAT program and company BTW) was because I am so email-centric. That is, the vast majority of stuff that comes my way to deal with, or that I initiate, comes through email. That is why I adopted the Netcentrics GTD Outllook add-in/Pocket Informant solution.

I also use ListPro for my GTD system.
As far as this template goes, there are some good suggestions I can incorporate, like adding Project and Due Date fields to my NA list. However, it doesn’t look completely functional to me. Don’t you need to have a separate Projects list, where you can actually brainstorm all NA in the notes? Also, adding waiting for to your NA seems like cluttering to me. I have a separate ListPro list for waiting for that has fields like “what”, “who from”, “last contact date”. Then you can go and see your entire waiting for list without it overwhelming your NA’s. And the “important/not important” flag is a bit dubious. If things weren’t important why would they be on the list? Plus, you’d tend to constantly leave “unimportant things” behind. Also helpful to have a Monthly Tickler folder in ListPro with a list for each month. At the beginning of each month ideas/NA’s from that monthly tickler can be put into appropriate projects/NA’s.
Helen

@Helen:
Great comments! My ListPro template has evolved a little since I wrote this post. I also create many other lists in ListPro that are directly or indirectly connected to GTD. However, this post still shows the core of my GTD system which is one master NA list.

Let me address your points one at a time:

* (separate) project list: this is something I’m not quite happy with myself in the current ListPro template. However, I have a physical and/or digital folder for almost every project I have in my GTD system. These contain items like successful outcome, (future) next actions, brainstorm output, etc.
Therefore, the current ListPro template has proved to be sufficient (for me at least!)

* “waiting for” items cluttering the NA list: I frequently need to switch the status of next actions from “waiting for” to “normal” and vice versa. To me it made sense to create one master list including the “waiting for” items, since I’m always sorting and filtering the list anyway (which is quite easy and intuitive in ListPro). The list never feels cluttered unless I remove all filters.

* important / not important flag: this is indeed a bit dubious and not truly GTD. I try not to use this flag at all because GTD uses different criteria for selecting a next action. However, sometimes I use the flag to mark next actions that I want/need finished today. You can choose to remove it completely from the template or assign your own meaning to the flag.

* tickler file: I have a separate physical tickler file; I don’t have a digital one.

@elias:
I have no particular suggestions other than to create your own lists. I am using the main GTD template as the core of my GTD setup and I have created a lot of other simple lists for enumerating items. It would also be very easy to create a tickler file this way. I think there is anothere GTD template at the official Ilium ListPro website, maybe you can check it out. Good luck!

[...] been reading into GTD again. I downloaded ListPro for my PDA and I’m going to take a shot at using Gtdfrk’s setup for it. This setup looks simple, and I like simple. But I have waited long enough to need to start [...]

[...] been reading into different setups this week, and I decided to go with ListPro on my PDA. I bought gtdfrk’s ListPro templates for $5 to get started. And it’s working at the moment. I didn’t get the synchronization [...]

[...] changed this for my (private) appointments and my contacts only months ago. But I had just started using my PDA for my GTD-system when it got stolen. That one was local…so all data was lost. And I can start over [...]

Hello, please excuse me but I have used the same cellphone for 6 years and am in the dark ages. I am thinking of buying a used pda of some kind but just want to download a product like this (organizational system implementing GTD methodology) or install in on whatever I get and don’t want to pay for a data plan from verizon(who I’m using right now) question 1:
Is there a pda/phone you recommend I get to use this (the cheaper and older the better as long as I can get this software installed on it)
question 2:
Can I just download this software to my mac and then connect that to a pda to install it that way, so I don’t have to put the pda online?

[...] changed this for my (private) appointments and my contacts only months ago. But I had just started using my PDA for my GTD-system when it got stolen. That one was local…so all data was lost. And I can start over [...]

[...] been reading into different setups this week, and I decided to go with ListPro on my PDA. I bought gtdfrk’s ListPro templates for $5 to get started. And it’s working at the moment. I didn’t get the synchronization [...]

[...] been reading into GTD again. I downloaded ListPro for my PDA and I’m going to take a shot at using Gtdfrk’s setup for it. This setup looks simple, and I like simple. But I have waited long enough to need to start [...]